Nine Black Alps are a post-grunge/indie rock quartet from Manchester, Engla… Read Full Bio ↴Nine Black Alps are a post-grunge/indie rock quartet from Manchester, England, named after a line in a Sylvia Plath poem and fronted by Sam Forrest.

From their inception in late 2003, the band's energetic live performances earned them a hardcore fanbase after playing for only a few months on the Manchester music scene. In 2004 the band were signed to Island records and spent the year touring the UK and recording their first studio album with producer Rob Schnapf in Los Angeles. In 2005 Nine Black Alps toured the UK extensively, promoting the release of their debut album, Everything Is on 13th June 2005. Their first U.S. single was Cosmopolitan; their album Everything Is was released in America on February 28, 2006.

The band's second album, again recorded in LA with producer Dave Sardy Love/Hate, was released on 29 October 2007 and heralded a split with Island Records shortly thereafter. However, Nine Black Alps went on to self-finance and record their third full-length album with producer Dave Eringa, entitled 'Locked Out from the Inside'. Only available as a download from the band's own website - http://www.nineblackalps.com, the album was a return to the louder, heavier sounds of the first record.

Nine Black Alps, after a hiatus of almost 2 years, have been back in the studio as a 3-piece recording tracks for a fourth album, with a possible release in 2012.

Southern Cross
Nine Black Alps Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This southern cross is full of holes
Frozen and over
Another shark that never shows
Right until it's everywhere
I tried to make it
I tried to make it alright,
Alright

So what do I do
Yeah what do I do
Oh yeah yeah

You should have said
You should have known
Known you'd go nowhere
Another friend that never shows
Right when you need them more,
Than I could ever
And ever made it alright,
Alright

So what do I do
Yeah what do I do
Oh yeah yeah

And I tried to make it
I tried to make it alright,
Alright

So what do I do
Yeah what do I do

Oh yeah yeah
Oh yeah yeah

Overall Meaning

The song "Southern Cross" by Nine Black Alps is a melancholic rock song with a sense of regret and unfulfilled desires. The "southern cross" in the lyrics refers to the constellation of stars that can be seen in the skies of the Southern Hemisphere. However, in this song, the southern cross is full of holes and frozen, indicating that something that was once promising and beautiful has now lost its shine. The line "another shark that never shows right until it's everywhere" suggests that the problem in question is something unpredictable that can appear out of nowhere and cause harm.

The first verse is about a failed attempt to fix the problem. The singer tried to make it alright, but it didn't work. The second verse is about a friend who let them down. The friend was expected to be there when they needed them the most, but they never showed up. The line "than I could ever/And ever made it alright, alright" implies that the singer's problems are too much for them to handle alone.

Overall, the song Southern Cross can be interpreted as a song about feeling lost and disappointed. It's about trying to fix problems and being let down by others. It's a reminder that life can be unpredictable, and we need to rely on ourselves to get through tough times.

Line by Line Meaning

This southern cross is full of holes
The situation is flawed and has many gaps

Frozen and over
Completely immobile and unresponsive

Another shark that never shows
Another danger that remains hidden until it happens

Right until it's everywhere
Suddenly and unexpectedly widespread

I tried to make it
I attempted to improve the situation

I tried to make it alright,
I attempted to make things better

So what do I do
What action should I take?

You should have said
You should have communicated openly

You should have known
You should have been aware

Known you'd go nowhere
Understood that this would lead to a dead end

Another friend that never shows
Another person who is absent when needed